The Longest Continuous View of Earth From Space Hits 40

July 23, 2012

Steve Cole
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0918
stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov

Jon Campbell
U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va.
571-230-6831
joncampbell@usgs.gov

RELEASE: 12-243

THE LONGEST CONTINUOUS VIEW OF EARTH FROM SPACE HITS 40

WASHINGTON -- NASA and the Interior Department Monday marked the 40th
anniversary of the Landsat program, the world's longest-running
Earth-observing satellite program. The first Landsat satellite was
launched July 23, 1972, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.


The 40-year Landsat record provides global coverage that shows
large-scale human activities such as building cities and farming. The
program is a sustained effort by the United States to provide direct
societal benefits across a wide range of human endeavors, including
human and environmental health, energy and water management, urban
planning, disaster recovery and agriculture.

Landsat images from space are not merely pictures. They contain many
layers of data collected at different points along the visible and
invisible light spectrum. A single Landsat scene taken from 400 miles
above Earth can accurately detail the condition of hundreds of
thousands of acres of grassland, agricultural crops or forests.

"Landsat has given us a critical perspective on our planet over the
long term and will continue to help us understand the big picture of
Earth and its changes from space," said NASA Administrator Charles
Bolden. "With this view we are better prepared to take action on the
ground and be better stewards of our home."

In cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a science
agency of the Interior Department, NASA launched six of the seven
Landsat satellites. The resulting archive of Earth observations forms
a comprehensive record of human and natural land changes.

"Over four decades, data from the Landsat series of satellites have
become a vital reference worldwide for advancing our understanding of
the science of the land," said Interior Department Secretary Ken
Salazar. "The 40-year Landsat archive forms an indelible and
objective register of America's natural heritage and thus it has
become part of this department's legacy to the American people."

Remote-sensing satellites such as the Landsat series help scientists
to observe the world beyond the power of human sight, to monitor
changes and to detect critical trends in the conditions of natural
resources.

"With its entirely objective, long term records for the entire surface
of the globe, the Landsat archive serves as the world's free press,
allowing any person, anywhere, to access vital information without
charge," said Interior's Anne Castle, assistant secretary for water
and science. "Landsat has been a game changer for agricultural
monitoring, climate change research and water management."

NASA is preparing to launch the next Landsat satellite, the Landsat
Data Continuity Mission (LDCM), in February 2013 from Vandeberg. LDCM
will be the most technologically advanced satellite in the Landsat
series. LDCM sensors take advantage of evolutionary advances in
detector and sensor technologies to improve performance and increase
reliability. LDCM will join Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 satellites in
Earth orbit to continue the Landsat data record.

"The first 40 years of the Landsat program have delivered the most
consistent and reliable record of Earth's changing landscape," said
Michael Freilich, director of NASA's Earth Science Division in the
Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "We look forward to
continuing this tradition of excellence with the even greater
capacity and enhanced technologies of LDCM."

NASA and USGS will highlight the accomplishments of the Landsat
program in a televised news briefing 11 a.m. EDT, Monday at the
Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, in Washington. During the
briefing, the agencies will announce the 10 most significant images
from the Landsat record; the U.S. regions selected for the "My
American Landscape" contest showing local environmental changes; and
the top five Landsat "Earth As Art" images selected in an online
poll. The public is encouraged to participate in the briefing's
question-and-answer sessions by using the Twitter hashtag #asknasa.

NASA Television and the NASA website will provide live briefing
coverage. For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink
information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the Landsat program, visit:

http://landsat.usgs.gov

and

http://www.nasa.gov/landsat


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